A wedding is a BIG day for a new couple; this celebration is a chance for them to showcase their bond, and declare to the world that they will always love and support one another. One bride found a way to make her wedding extra special by making it a symbol of her personal growth. You’ll never guess how she wowed her guests on her big day.
Jacquie Goncher is 25 years old, and she just married the love of her life. Jacquie married her husband, Andy, after the two had planned their wedding for over a year. She was thrilled to be able to share her life with someone so special, but she wanted her wedding day to be about more than that. This bride had been through a lot, and she wanted to share her strength with the world.
Jacquie had always been an athletic child, but when she was 17 her love of adventure took her into a dangerous situation. When she was at a friend’s house, Jacquie dove into the swimming pool. Unfortunately, the pool was not deep enough, and she was badly injured. Jacquie was instantly paralyzed from the neck down, and doctors told her she would never walk again.
When Jacquie met Andy, she was bound to a wheelchair. She knew that her husband would support her no matter what, but Jacquie wanted to push herself to get back on her feet. On her wedding day, she did something no one was expecting: she walked down the aisle herself!
Jacquie had been training hard so that she could stand on her wedding day. For over a year she hit the gym – 6 days a week, for 2 or 3 hours at a time. She pushed herself during her physical therapy sessions so she could reach her goal.
“[I] didn’t want to waste the miracle that God [has] given [to me by] just accepting the comfort,” Jacquie explained to Huffington Post about leaving her wheelchair. “I wanted our wedding photos to symbolically show the long journey I’ve been through.”
This beautiful bride had been dedicated to recovery from day one. Just 6 months after she broke her neck, Jacquie had been able to stand up. Doctors were amazed. Jacquie started by standing for 30 minutes at a time, but with hard work she was able to do even more.
The wedding photographer, Alec, was honored to work with the young couple. “Jacquie and Andy are literally a dream couple,” he shared. “Both extremely intelligent, talented, creative and loving people that make our job worth while, not to mention the fact that they have a very deep bond that makes it easy to capture the emotions that they have for one another. The way they selflessly serve one another challenges me to this day, and I’m such a fortunate human to be able to call them friends.”
Jacquie may have shared her big accomplishment with her hubby while planning the wedding, but her ability to walk was a complete surprise to the audience. She definitely found a way to blow her guests away.
The bride was able to stand long enough to have her first dance with her husband. This was their first dance ever as a couple.
“He has believed in me and my goals,” Jacquie said about Andy. “Through it I always knew, no matter what the outcome, he would be by my side. He just loved me for who I was from the very beginning. I couldn’t ask for more than that.”
The story of Jacquie and Andy is one filled with true love. It is heartwarming to hear of two people who love each other so much they can overcome any obstacle.
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